the “people of the river.” We have been in this region for over 15,000 years. The Mattaponi are one of the 6 original tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy. The Mattaponi Indian Reservation was confirmed to the Mattaponi Indians in 1658 by an act of the Colonial Government. The Mattaponi River will always remain the lifeblood of our tribe and an important part of our culture.

Members of the Tribe reside on the same Reservation Lands confirmed to the Mattaponi in 1658, however the land base is much smaller than the original tract set aside for the Tribe. Currently the Reservation measures about 150 acres including wetlands. The Reservation is located in King William County, VA.

Contemporary Mattaponi tribal life is still based deeply in the traditions of our ancestors, such as being faithful to our treaties and living in harmony with the natural world, while at the same time we have adapted to an ever-changing society.